Unintentional Consequnces: an Op-Ed on Migration and Recreation

At first glance, expanding trail access in Idaho’s public lands seems like a win for outdoor recreation. But what happens when new trails overlap with critical migration corridors for big game species like mule deer, elk, and pronghorn?

This week, IWF Conservation Program Director Garret Visser tackled that question in an op-ed for the Mountain Express, highlighting a stretch of the Wood River Valley where three mule deer herds converge - right in the path of proposed trail development.

In “Unintentional Consequences,” he explains how these migration routes aren’t just habits - they’re generational behaviors passed down over decades. Disrupt them now, and we may lose them forever. “Some areas are simply too ecologically important to put at risk. This is one of them.”

This is more than a local issue. It’s a case study in why Idaho must consider wildlife science in land use decisions - and how recreation planning and conservation can (and must) coexist.

Read “Unintentional Consequences” at the button below.